Jaguar XF
2.2 L I4 Diesel 3.0 L V6 Diesel 3.0 L V6 Diesel 3.0 L V6 Petrol 5.0 L V8 Petrol 5.0 L V8 Petrol |transmission = 6-speed automatic (petrol engines) 8-speed automatic (diesel engines) |layout = FR |platform = Ford DEW98 platform |wheelbase = |length = Saloon Sportbrake |width = (exc. mirrors; 2008-2011) (inc. mirrors; 2008-2011) (2012-) |height = |designer = Ian Callum |related = Lincoln LS (2000-2006) Ford Thunderbird (2002-2005) Jaguar S-Type (1999–2008) }} The Jaguar XF (codename: X250) is an executive car produced by British car manufacturer Jaguar which was first revealed in autumn 2007 as a replacement for the Jaguar S-Type. Overview The XF was developed at Jaguar's Whitley design and development HQ in Coventry and is built in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham. During its development the XF was known by its codename X250. The XF was launched at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show following the public showing of the C-XF concept in January 2007 at the North American International Auto Show. Designed by Jaguar's design director Ian Callum, it was a significant design change from its predecessor. The styling of the finalised production XF varies from that of the C-XF, most notably around the front lights and nose, which incorporates an oval mesh grille harking back to the original Jaguar XJ of 1968. The boot lid retained the S-Type's chromed blade to its edge, but also included a "leaper" Jaguar logo as well. The interior included some unique features such as the air conditioning vents which are flush-fitting in the dash, rotating open once the engine is started, and a rotating gearshift dial called the JaguarDrive Selector which rises out of the centre console. Another departure from the traditional Jaguar cabin ambiance is the use of pale-blue backlighting to the instruments, switchgear, and around major control panels. Some minor systems, such as the interior lighting, are controlled simply by touching the light covers. The glove compartment also opens to the touch. Unusually the XF has no cloth interior option, with even the entry level model being fully trimmed in leather - even areas that have employed plastic on previous Jaguars. Real wood veneers are available, but have been joined by aluminium, carbon fibre and piano black lacquer trims to create a modern look to the passenger compartment. Customer deliveries commenced in March 2008 with a range of V6 and V8 engines. Facelift (2011) thumb|right|2012 Jaguar XFR (US) In April 2011, Jaguar revealed the details of a facelift for the XF at the New York International Auto Show, with manufacturing beginning in July 2011. The facelift includes front and rear styling changes which are based on the original Jaguar C-XF concept car, internal trim enhancements, adaptive cruise control, and a new four-cylinder 2.2-litre diesel engine, which is combined with a new eight-speed automatic transmission and stop-start technology to emit 149 g/km CO2 and fuel consumption of . XF Models The XF was launched with a variety of models called, depending on country, 'SE', 'Luxury', 'Premium Luxury' (or 'Premium'), 'Portfolio' (or 'Premium Portfolio'), 'SV8' (or 'Supercharged') and 'R'. For the UK market, company car friendly 'Executive Edition' and 'SE Business' models with a lower tuned versions of the 3.0 L and 2.2 L diesel engines respectively are available. XF Supercharged (2009–) The 2008 4.2 supercharged engined was replaced by the new 5.0-litre supercharged engine rated , and came with Adaptive Dynamics (computer controlled continuously variable damping) and Active Differential Control (electronically controlled rear differential). XFR (2009–) The XFR was announced at Detroit's North American International Auto Show in January 2009 as a new performance derivative of the XF range, and featured the new 5.0-litre Supercharged AJ-V8 Gen III engine rated , a revised front bumper and spoiler and -inch alloy wheels. Police car (2009–) A special version of the XF Diesel S was announced in 2009 for the UK police car market, with the first police force orders in 2010. It included a roof-mounted light bar with 3,600 light elements, side alley lights, blue and white strobing LEDs in the grille and blue flashing LEDs along the side of the car, blue and red flashing LED lights in the rear light clusters. XF Sportbrake (2012–) During late 2011, a camouflaged XF estate was spotted and indicated that the Sportbrake was nearing its autumn 2012 on-sale date. In March 2012, the Jaguar Sportbrake was formally revealed along with some technical information. When the Sportbrake goes on sale, it will be available with all of the saloon's engines and has a loading capacity of 550 litres with the seats up and 1,675 litres with them folded - the maximum capacity surpasses that of the BMW 5-Series Touring, Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon and Volvo V70. The extended roofline increases rear headroom by 48 mm and the rear bench includes a 60:40 split and remote-controlled 'one-touch' folding function. The load area is fitted with multi-function rails and is 1,970 mm long and 1,064 mm wide. Specifications Aerodynamics The car body was developed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) before the car ever saw a wind tunnel. Every area from the outer skin to the lightweight, composite undertray to the cooling airflow (even the shape of the exterior mirrors) was optimised using this process. The higher, squarer tail is more efficient aerodynamically than a lower, rounded one, and the XF’s coupé-like roofline and raised bootlid lip improve airflow over the rear of the car. As a result, the XF has the best aerodynamic performance, in terms of drag, of any production Jaguar ever and is better than the race-bred, limited edition XJ220 supercar. The XF’s drag coefficient is 0.29, and the front-to-rear lift balance is precisely zero. This aerodynamic performance minimises wind noise, reduces fuel consumption, and aids strong high-speed stability and handling. Chassis The basic sub-structure of the XF has been carried over from the S-Type, although the body has been stretched to meet crash safety requirements, and heightened to provide additional headroom while still retaining the "saloon within a coupé" proportions. The suspension and mountings are the same as that used on the XK, while the engine line-up is basically similar to that used in the S-Type. Sound and vibration insulation is provided by the addition of a special underbody tray and engine mounts, a tuned exhaust system, and a double bulkhead between the engine bay and passenger compartment. Engines The XF featured two petrol engines at launch, 3.0 L V6 and a 4.2 L V8. The launch V8 supercharged derivative was called the SV8,The Sunday Times 10 February 2008 and in some export markets such as the US, it was known as the Supercharged. A new 5.0 L V8 AJ133 GEN III engine was launched in 2009, which replaced the 4.2 V8 in most markets. The North American market retained the 4.2 L V8 as an option until 2010, as the 3.0 V6 was not made available. The supercharged version of the new V8 engines was used in the new XFR sports model. The 2.7 L V6 diesel engine, replaced in 2009 with a new 3.0 V6 diesel AJ-V6D Gen III, came in two states of tune. The diesel engines are a product of the joint venture between Ford and Peugeot-Citroën. Transmissions The XF was launched with only an automatic gearbox. The ZF 6HP28 six-speed automatic with torque converter lock-up is programmed to shift 10% quicker than before and is fitted to all petrol engines. Diesel engines are fitted with an advanced eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. On both transmissions gears can either be selected using a rotary dial that rises from the centre console on start-up or can be manually controlled using paddles behind the steering wheel. Engine specifications All XFs are automatic and are Euro 5 compliant. The petrol 3.0 V6 was discontinued in Europe in 2010, but continues to be sold elsewhere. Next Green Car an organisation that analyses vehicle emissions and rates them from 0 (cleanest) to 100 (dirtiest) - analysed the emissions from Jaguar's current XF range: ADAC's EcoTest has also rated two of the diesel engines. Equipment Sound system The XF's standard audio system comprises a 10 speaker, 400W set-up that includes a radio, CD player, WMA and MP3 compatibility as well as USB storage devices. The optional upgrade boosts power to 600W which is fed through 11 speakers (including sub-woofer) and comes with a DSP amplifier. A digital radio tuner is optional on all systems. There is also an optional Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) surround sound system available. At its core there are 17 speakers which (with the exception of the aluminium high-frequency tweeters) employ B&W's Kevlar composite speaker cones. Each front door contains a woofer, a mid-range speaker and a dome tweeter (the latter two wired in parallel with a crossover), while each rear door houses a similar woofer and tweeter. As a centre speaker there is a full-range driver, similar to the two full-range 'surround' speakers located on the rear parcel shelf. The B&W system has been reviewed by journalists at Autocar magazine, who proclaimed it the best in-car system they have ever heard. Multimedia interaction A 7" full-colour screen is fitted to the dashboard of all XFs and can be used to control most multimedia systems. The same screen can also be upgraded with analogue and digital television capability. Available as an option is JaguarVoice™ which allows the driver to speak commands in order to control everything from the sound and navigation systems to telephone calls and the climate control system. Safety The XF was crash tested in 2010 by EuroNCAP and it gained a four star rating. The XF's result was seen as a disappointment by some car magazines. When retested in 2011 the Jaguar turned in improved scores in adult occupant, child occupant and pedestrian areas. The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) also tested the XF and gave it a score of 32.38 points out of 37, giving it an ANCAP rating of 4 out of 5.http://ancap.com.au/crashtestrecord?Id=384 Thatcham's New Car Whiplash Ratings awarded the XF 'good' score for Geometric, Dynamic and Overall ratings. Security Deadlocks, an alarm and an engine immobiliser are fitted as standard to the XF. The car also locks itself when it reaches a pre-set speed to help protect against carjackings. The XF was tested by Thatcham's New Vehicle Security Ratings (NVSR) organisation and achieved the following ratings:http://www.thatcham.org/nvsr/index.jsp?page=202&s=car Critical reception James May of Top Gear during episode 10 of series 10 reviewed the XF. Among his remarks were: "XF goes like a four-door XK" and that the XF was "better value for money" than the BMW 5 Series. Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear reviewed the XFR during episode 5 of series 13. During the review he said: "I'm not going to, even for a minute suggest that it's XFR better than the M5, but it's as-good-as. And praise does not get higher than that". During the same episode The Stig managed a lap time of 1:26.7 s with the XFR. Making the XFR only 0.5 s slower than its rival the BMW M5 (1:26.2). Jaguar speed record On 7 November 2008, a modified XFR was driven by Paul Gentilozzi of Rocketsports, who prepared the car, to a new Jaguar record of on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The new record beat the previous Jaguar record of in a XJ220 in 1992. Changes to the stock vehicle included low-mounted rear spoiler, increased power to by a remapped ECU, a modified air intake and exhaust system and revised supercharger settings. . Awards *The concept C-XF was awarded 2007 North American Production Preview Vehicle of the Year award. *What Diesel? magazine awarded the XF both the Car of the Year and Best Executive Car awards in 2008. *The XF was awarded the 2008 What Car? Car of the Year award, as well as taking away the prize for the Best Executive Car. *In 2009, What Diesel? magazine, for the second year running, awarded the XF both the Car of the Year and Best Executive Car awards. *The XF won the What Car? Best Executive Car category again in 2009, *The XF was awarded 2009 Semperit Irish Luxury Car of the Year, beating the Volkswagen Passat CC. *The XF won the What Car? Best Executive Car award for the third time in 2010. *For the fourth successive year, the XF won the What Car? Best Executive Car award in 2011. References External links *Official Jaguar XF website *Jaguar XF at Jaguar USA *XF eBrochure *Media kits: C-XF, XF, XF MY2012 XF Category:Executive cars Category:Mid-size cars Category:Station wagons Category:Sedans Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Category:2000s automobiles Category:2010s automobiles Category:Vehicles introduced in 2008 Category:Euro NCAP executive cars